#91 in Science fiction
The Consuming Fire
- 336
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 1 week on the list
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Our view
“The Consuming Fire” is fast, funny space opera that tightens what the first Interdependency book set up. Scalzi keeps the collapse of an interstellar empire light on its feet, with court intrigue, pointed jokes at the expense of the greedy and powerful, and plenty of cheerful swearing. Some readers find the opening slow beside the final act, and some wish the whole were longer. As a middle volume it depends on its predecessor.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Consuming Fire is a space opera novel by American writer John Scalzi. The book was published by Tor Books on October 16, 2018. Audible released an audio book version narrated by Wil Wheaton. It is the middle volume of The Interdependency trilogy and a sequel to The Collapsing Empire; the third and final book, The Last Emperox, was published on 14 April 2020. The Consuming Fire reached #15 on The New York Times bestseller list for combined print and e-book fiction.
Reading order · The Interdependency
Full order & progress →- The Collapsing EmpireStart here
8.18.1 / 10 - The Consuming FireThis book
8.38.3 / 10 - The Last Emperox
8.18.1 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.4 across 567 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 79% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 8.3 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.4 | 9 | 2% |
| Hardcover | 8.4 | 558 | 98% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Consuming Fire?
It has 336 pages — shorter than 74% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Science fiction — with scores between 8.2 and 8.3, closest to this book.
